A wagon-load of broken forging hammers, displayed in the courtyard of the Head Blacksmith's Guild, served as a stark, unmistakable message to everyone: forging Soul Weapons was an extraordinarily, tremendously, staggeringly expensive endeavor! Such a pile of hammers alone could bankrupt many families.

And these were merely some of the tools. If one factored in the cost of the materials for the Soul Weapons themselves, the exorbitant price could cause a local branch guild to collapse overnight, forcing them all onto the streets to beg.

Seven pieces! Seven Soul Weapons!

Forging day and night, after wasting the materials for several Soul Weapons during the process, Qian Jin found his own Qipò growing stronger with each failure.

The very first time he had ruined the material for a weapon, his emotional state had taken a full hour to recover. But that last ruined Soul Weapon material? He felt absolutely nothing emotionally about it—if it broke, it broke; he would just continue forging.

Sword! Saber! Spear! Hammer…

Different Soul Weapons rested upon the same platform.

Over twenty Branch Presidents of the Warriors' Guild stood shoulder-to-shoulder near the Soul Weapon platform, resembling primary school students, their eyes locked onto the weapons. If Mu Gui Wuxin’s Sainthood-level strength hadn't been suppressing the scene, they likely would have already rushed forward to snatch and grab.

Soul Weapons! Entering Sainthood!

Even the Branch Presidents with the strongest psychological fortitude had suffered six sleepless nights waiting for this precise moment.

In the eyes of the twenty-plus Branch Presidents, a current of hostility flowed between them. Although they knew this wouldn't be the final batch of Soul Weapons, who didn't desire Sainthood sooner?

"Seven Soul Weapons? Plus the one in Yi Shou's hand, that makes eight!"

Duan Feng Bu’er swaggered around the location of the Soul Weapons. This was enough to propel seven strong individuals into Sainthood! In the future Human-Demon Battlefield, if these seven Saints were organized into a small assault team, the might they could unleash could single-handedly tip the scales of victory or defeat in a corner of the battle.

"So many Presidents..."

A voice, eternally sunny and capable of making anyone listening feel comfortable from the bottom of their heart, that of Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji, rang out from the main entrance.

The Presidents present had mostly met Pan Hongji before. They remembered that distinct voice with crystal clarity—a sound one would never forget even until death. Subconsciously, they all parted to the side, clearing a path for the Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji.

Qian Jin raised an eyebrow, his expression carrying a hint of surprise. He knew the Serpent Emperor’s insight was sharp, but he hadn't expected him to command such respect even from these ordinary warrior Presidents. That was no small feat.

"Greetings, Serpent Emperor..."

"The Serpent Emperor has arrived..."

Several Branch Presidents of the Warriors' Guild greeted Pan Hongji with practiced familiarity.

"Indeed, I've arrived. Long time no see, your strength has improved again! Excellent, excellent! Congratulations, everyone, you can finally reach Sainthood."

Pan Hongji mingled with the crowd without any pretense of seniority. He walked up to the seven Soul Weapons, circled the table a few times, and clicked his tongue repeatedly: "Good stuff, truly good stuff!"

Qian Jin watched Pan Hongji with a smile: "Serpent Emperor, you are a Bloodline Warrior; you don't need things like Soul Weapons at all."

"Not at all, not at all, why wouldn't I need them?" Pan Hongji looked earnestly at Qian Jin: "You can't say that! I was just thinking of asking little brother Qian Jin to forge a few Soul Weapons for our Pan family. To allow those exceptionally talented youngsters to reach Sainthood using these Soul Weapons, and then proceed to awaken the Human-level Bloodline Ascension plane—the future development..."

Pan Hongji gazed dreamily toward the sky, his eyes flashing with infinite speculation. The few Presidents of the Warriors' Guild stared at Pan Hongji in collective astonishment. This idea... was astounding! If this truly came to pass, the Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warrior Family might completely overshadow the other Ten Great Bloodline Warrior Families!

As for whether they could stand as equals with the other Three Ultimate Bloodline Warrior Families, that was hard to say, but surpassing the other ten great Bloodline Warrior Houses to become the strongest among them would be no problem at all!

"Fine, no problem!" Qian Jin agreed readily: "Also, Serpent Emperor, I've researched some new insights these past few days regarding the Mystic Potion. Uh! Regarding bloodlines..."

"Regarding bloodlines?"

Pan Hongji’s composed expression instantly fractured. He flashed forward, appearing directly in front of Qian Jin. The surrounding Warriors' Guild Presidents were startled by this sudden movement. The Serpent Emperor, usually as steady as a star falling from the sky without the slightest tremor, was today agitated and unbalanced by just a single sentence from Qian Jin.

"Uh... I don't know if it can open the door to the Ultimate Awakening... but at least... it should have some effect, right?"

Pan Hongji’s breathing quickened. He stared at Qian Jin, who was scratching his head, looking as if he were merely mentioning that the price of cabbage had increased by one copper coin today. Pan Hongji was left utterly speechless.

Speechless! Yes, utterly speechless! Pan Hongji simply couldn't comprehend why Qian Jin could discuss something that would make any Bloodline Warrior faint from excitement with the same casualness as housewives discussing today’s vegetable prices.

"It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m willing to try..."

"Serpent Emperor, your status is too noble! You cannot be a subject of such an experiment! It is too dangerous! The Pan family still relies on you to hold things steady. Why don’t I, Duan Feng Bu’er, try it first? The Mystic Potion can accidentally kill people!"

Duan Feng Bu’er put on a deliberately fearful expression, a faint smile playing on his lips, looking utterly confident that he had trapped Pan Hongji. Simultaneously, he obediently sidestepped to avoid the playful kick aimed at his rear by Pan Hongji.

"Kid, you can mock me all you want," Pan Hongji said, smiling at Duan Feng Bu’er. "You’re nearing your Ascension Awakening, aren't you?"

"Soon, but..." Duan Feng Bu’er scratched his head. "I plan to find a Sacred Artifact to enter Sainthood in a few days..."

"A Sacred Artifact..." Pan Hongji raised a hand to shield his strong heart. He turned back to look at Qian Jin’s earnest face and sighed repeatedly: "Sacred Artifact... Sacred Artifact... You bunch of reckless whelps, just cause trouble! Keep causing trouble!"

"Why did the Serpent Emperor come so early? Isn't the Newcomer King Tournament still some time away?" Mu Ne Zhen Ce finally spoke, voicing the question on the minds of many Presidents.

"Isn't it for all of you?" Pan Hongji shot Qian Jin a sidelong glance. "I heard you were planning a collective entry into Sainthood, so I hurried over. Do you really think you can stir things up like this and only reap benefits?"

"Aren't you here? I assume you've contacted the patriarchs of a few Bloodline Families to guard my little sapling, haven't you?" Qian Jin asked with a smirk. "Will Qian Zhanxuan still make a move?"

"If the open path is blocked, can't we use the covert one?" Pan Hongji pouted. "You are helping this large group of people achieve Sainthood; what about next? The Fen Tu Family? The War Hall? As long as you have materials in hand, you will continuously create Saint-level powerhouses. Do you have any idea what concept that represents? What kind of shock it will cause to the social structure of the entire Zhen Ce Dynasty, and even the Human, Demon, and Savage Three Clans?"

"Qian Zhanxuan dreams of annihilating the Demon Race; he would welcome the creation of such Saints. But that doesn't mean other strong figures in the Qian Family will be happy about this situation."

Pan Hongji's smile carried a hint of admiration: "Qian Zhanxuan, that old fellow, while somewhat overbearing in his methods, once he sees that you can create Saints from ordinary warriors, he won't lay a hand on you again. He is extremely self-assured. As long as you keep manufacturing Saints, in his eyes, you become a vital tool capable of helping the Dynasty destroy the Demon Race, thus having value for survival! As for..."

Pan Hongji patted Qian Jin’s shoulder: "Whether your creation of Soul Weapons to help warriors reach Sainthood constitutes a threat to him personally, he frankly doesn't care! So he won't attack you, but the others in the Qian Family might... after all, not everyone possesses Qian Zhanxuan's level of confidence and dominance."

Confidence? Qian Jin wanted to sneer in disdain, but found himself unable to produce such a scornful look. Even if he disliked Qian Zhanxuan intensely, he had to admit that the Head of the Qian Family was indeed confident and undeniably overbearing.

"Moreover, this generation of the Qian Family has a warrior with an Ultimate Bloodline Awakening..." Pan Hongji shrugged, showing three parts helplessness and three parts envy. "When faced with absolute power, it’s no wonder Qian Zhanxuan is arrogant. After all, the Qian Family also possesses its own Sacred Artifacts. While they deeply covet Soul Weapons, they don't crave them as desperately as I do."

"Right! Are you preparing for the ascension now?"

Pan Hongji abruptly shifted his topic, once again sizing up the Soul Weapons on the table.

Seeing the Serpent Emperor’s gaze, several Branch Presidents of the Warriors' Guild forgot their usual camaraderie and their respect for the Serpent Emperor. They collectively stood in front of the platform, using their bodies to shield the Soul Weapons, and declared in unison: "Serpent Emperor, you cannot have designs on our batch of Soul Weapons!"

Pan Hongji looked at the few Presidents, feeling both exasperated and amused. He turned to Qian Jin: "Is it acceptable if I let those kids from my Pan family take some advantage?"

"Take advantage?" Qian Jin paused, then burst out laughing: "Serpent Emperor, have you brought people?"

Pan Hongji snapped his fingers toward the doorway: "Why are you still standing outside? Come in!"

Duan Feng Bu’er and the others exchanged knowing glances. Reaching Sainthood was something immensely beneficial to any expert who had not yet achieved it. Now that countless factions were showing extraordinary concern for Qian Jin, they understood the underlying reason.

After all, everyone hoped their descendants could be stronger, ensuring their family line developed more prosperous and flourishing fortunes.

Ten young Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warriors marched into the courtyard, chests puffed out and heads held high. Each neck seemed stiffly arched, as if determined to lean their heads back until they touched their own backs. Arrogance radiated from their eyes.

Qian Jin smiled faintly. These youngsters were only maintaining a semblance of politeness in front of the Serpent Emperor. Otherwise, they might have entered the courtyard displaying even greater disdain, perhaps even starting to mock with their words.